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Can someone please tell me what is meant by the term "soft finals"? I'm still having problems getting proper output from my TR-4 and, for all I know, that might be the problem. I've tested them for transconductance and all three are very close to the same value and, furthermore, that value is quite a bit above the minimum for a good tube. Aside from low output (i.e. about 300 mA plate current maximum into a dummy load), I notice that if I hold down the key for a few seconds the plate current tends to drop just slightly and I think if I were to continue holding the key down, the current would continue to slowly decrease. I measured the voltage across each cathode resistor and I notice the same phenomenon: the voltage climbs to about 1.6 VDC and then begins to drop a bit. Like the transconductance values, each cathode resistor is "matched" in value and behavior to the other two so I suppose that's one good thing. Am I seeing the result of weak/soft tubes or is something else going on that would cause this? Thanks, Barry - N4BUQ

Hello everyone. I am new here. Let me know if I become too much of a pain ... I just received a Drake 2B from an eBay seller. I will admit to a lot of stupidity on my part and a lack of understanding before I pushed the "Purchase now" button. I purchased this during an emotional stupor because I was looking for a GOOD old tube SW receiver like my Dad used when I was in elementary school in the 60s - a Hallicrafters S-40B. Mom and Dad were scrimping by with just barely enough money and my Dad picked-up that Hallicrafters from a junk yard and got it working again. Even though Dad had to walk a mile to work and back because he did not have a car, he gave some priority to buying that Hallicrafters. And we had a great time listening to stations all over North and South America late into the night (usually ending only when Mom came into the room with her hands on her hips). I remember the glow on the ceiling and the smell of those hot tubes. So, after reading a lot of reviews which all kept focusing on the Drake 2B as THE radio to have, I pushed that eBay button and have been waiting where my driveway meets the street ever since. It showed up yesterday and I unboxed it and started reading the manual. Boy, am I ever lost! I am not normally a stupid fellow and I can usually get my brain to cooperate on new and even difficult concepts, but that manual and me have decided to part company. Surely, there is a better source of information somewhere on how to work this radio! I have more questions than I believe this group will allow, but let me start with this one: If I understand the manual correctly, and a little simple math, if I purchase ten crystals and fill each of the ten slots, that will give me a total band spread of frequencies of (let's see: a 600 kHz spread per crystal, times ten crystals, equals 6,000 kHz of total frequencies) available on this radio. Of the frequencies usually collectively available on the LW, MW, and SW bands on most of these old vintage radios (specifically, .5 to 30 MHz), this radio will not tune to the LW or MW groups and will let me listen to only 6 MHz (6 MHz!) of the SW group. Is that REALLY true? Surely a coveted radio with owners' comments centering around "I will never give it up" to "I should not have given it up" can do better than that! Is this true, or will someone here tell me where the secret button is that will allow me to tune in the remainder of the HF field? Really, I think I goofed and bought a specialized radio that was never intended to be in the hands of a "general receiver" fool. Richard W2ONE By the way, ever since I unboxed the radio and started sighing heavily with each page turned in that manual, my wife has started standing at the door with her hands on her hips...

For the second day in a row there has been no rain at Hamvention. I guess all traditions fail every now and then, hi hi. Let's see what Sunday yields...maybe we can do three days in a row. It could mark the start of a new tradition this century! 73, Evan, K9SQG

Nice history and notes… STAY SAFE AND STAY WELL! Respectfully, Thomas K. Lanieri, NU2W NJ DOH Licensed EMT; PHTLS, AMLS, PHPEC Millenium EMS ARC N.E. BioMedical Services ARC N.E. Disaster Cycle Services

In the 70’s, I built my entire station…Heathkit. First it was the HW-101, the HA-10 Warrior amp. Warrior was just too big and didn’t match the 102, so I built the SB-200. Not done yet….wanted more power, so You guessed it, the SB-220 was next. Had to have the Cantenna, so it was added to my kit building! Welp, no AM in the 102, so the SB301/401 was next. (The world of split frequency operations was soon discovered and quickly loved that capability! Outside of the ham equipment, I built lots of Heath kits….Color tv’s, multi meters, O-scopes, automobile scopes and tuners, weather station, digi clocks…Don’t remember all else, but there was a lot of stuff, I loved building. I still have some of the Heath stuff, but with the exception of my cantenna, all the Heath amateur gear is gone. L The automobile scope still works but no longer really needed with today’s cars. I still have my weather station and digi clocks as well my multimeters (VOMs and VTOMs) Yeah..hindsight is a bear…. Wish I still had all that ham stuff. They worked beautifully! From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of C Mark Cring - N8COO via groups.io Subject: Re: [DRAKE-RADIO] Thoughts on Dayton Hamfest you know, it’s easy to say I never should’ve got rid of that rig, whatever that rig was, but back when, I always had to trade or sell stuff to be able to afford newer equipment,.

First time since 2000. Certainly a different vibe at the Xenia fairgrounds. There were a fair number of C-lines for sale. Don't recall seeing ANY B-lines, and only one or two R-4A/T-4X. I did see a couple of TR-7s and even a TR-5 for sale. Several 2-C and 2NT sets. Also saw several TR-3 units which was surprising, and don't recall seeing any TR-4's or 4C's. I bought a box of TR-7 parts that was supposedly a "full TR-7" that was cannibalized for the case. Boards, modules, switch wafers, etc. I can't wait to explain the benefits of this acquisition to my wife when I return. -- Craig/W8CS Greenville, SC

Could someone recommend a good remote AC outlet? Thanks... joe graif K4JNG

This is my third unit (the first 2 failed). I ordered this one from AliExpress. It arrived from China in 8 days and continues to operate properly. It was 1/3 the price Amazon was showing and was a hassle-free purchase. I received excellent updates on status and location of the unit during transit from China. This is the first time I have used AliExpress, and I was impressed. This unit is about 3 dB more sensitive than the previous two units that I purchased from Amazon and is less sensitive to spurs on the R4-C “ INJ” line. Freq readings are stable on all bands. I installed a J310 JFET buffer to drive the counter. Although the insertion loss of this device ranged from 4-5 dB over the freq range of interest (2-34 MHz), there was still at least 6 dB of margin above the threshold of the counter, so I didn’t feel additional gain was necessary. This unit also had the problem with the color code on the provided cable for the signal input- red is gnd and black is the signal line. The color code for the DC power connector is correct. Bill N0CU -- Bill N0CU

Several weeks ago, I posted a problem with the 9 MHz oscillator in my TR-4 could not be gotten down quite to 9.000000 MHz. At the suggestion of a list member (one of the Garys?), I placed a 2pF across the trimmer and that resolved the problem. I didn't really like leaving it that way as it makes the rig a bit less original. I ordered a small assortment of 9 MHz crystals from Mouser. Two were parallel resonant and one was a series resonant. I had read where that oscillator should take a series resonant crystal, I tried it first but that crystal resulted in the oscillator being at least 1 kHz high and it appeared I'd need on the order of 30pF or 40pF extra to get it working (even if it could be "pulled" that far). With all the talk recently regarding baking crystals, I gave it a try. To be a bit on the safe side as I didn't have an accurate thermometer, I set the oven to 330F and baked it for three hours. I reinstalled it in the rig and, without the extra 2pF capacitor, I can easily get it to 9 Mhz now. Nice! Thanks, Barry - N4BUQ

Bill Contact me offline, PLEASE STAY SAFE AND STAY WELL! Respectfully, Thomas K. Lanieri, NU2W NJ DOH Licensed EMT; PHTLS, AMLS, PHPEC Millenium EMS ARC N.E. BioMedical Services ARC N.E. Disaster Cycle Services From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Bill Leonard N0CU via groups.io Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2025 1:06 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [DRAKE-RADIO] PLJ-8LED Freq Counter Debacle Update This is my third unit (the first 2 failed). I ordered this one from AliExpress. It arrived from China in 8 days and continues to operate properly. It was 1/3 the price Amazon was showing and was a hassle-free purchase. I received excellent updates on status and location of the unit during transit from China. This is the first time I have used AliExpress, and I was impressed. This unit is about 3 dB more sensitive than the previous two units that I purchased from Amazon and is less sensitive to spurs on the R4-C “ INJ” line. Freq readings are stable on all bands. I installed a J310 JFET buffer to drive the counter. Although the insertion loss of this device ranged from 4-5 dB over the freq range of interest (2-34 MHz), there was still at least 6 dB of margin above the threshold of the counter, so I didn’t feel additional gain was necessary. This unit also had the problem with the color code on the provided cable for the signal input- red is gnd and black is the signal line. The color code for the DC power connector is correct. Bill N0CU -- Bill N0CU

Looking for a TR-4C or TR-4CW in good shape. Email is good in QRZ. Thanks, Jim kq4e

When I switch on the 100kHz calibrator in my TR-4, I get a constant tone regardless of the frequency of the PTO. It's rather high-pitched, perhaps 4 kHz or 5 kHz in frequency. If I recall correctly, it seems more prevalent in one sideband setting or the other (not sure which at the moment). I presume this is not normal, correct? If it isn't, any suggestions as to what might be the problem? I know the crystal and tube are pretty close to the RF TUNE capacitor (which is in a metal cover) and am wondering if that may be where it's getting picked up but that might not have anything to do with it. I'm hoping someone else has seen this and might know where to look. Thanks, Barry - N4BUQ

Okay, I need a little help from the real engineers here. When doind a TR-4 filter match adjustment, I invariably come up with having to redo the adjustment several times. T6 and T13 appear to be at opposite ends of the filters. I can see why you want to get the received strength the same by tuning the PTO to the one place where the signals on opposite sidebands have the same strength and I get using S3 as the signal before tweaking the transformers so that you're not overloading anything (overcoupling?) Why does it seem to take 3-5 cycles of this? The TR-4 I'm working on has a host of problems (and I'm about to set it aside for a couple of months, as the owner has told me to "take my time". and the filter match was way out of adjustment -- implying that someone else was "in there" and didn't do the procedure quite right. Do these filter match transformer adjustments interact? I am inclined to believe that they do. What happens if the adjustment is off? Simply reduced response on one sideband? This TR-4 has had 4 bad tubes, plus bad finals, and an intermittent fault that comes as the rig warms up -- but -- the problem also disappears with the rig warmed up. Voltage checks on some of the tubes have revealed some voltage differences that I'd largely chalk up to old resistors. They're in the ballpark. It's too bad, because this set is about an 8.5 cosmetically... 73, Steve Wedge, W1ES Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. Sent with Proton Mail secure email.

Fellow Drake Enthusiasts, Having been asked about where to eat come Hamvention time, I thought I'd throw out my favorite restaurants since I live in Greene County. Lumberton General Store is on Route 68 south between Xenia and Wilmington. It is family owned, great food, and excellent customer service, with reasonable prices. Open from 7:30 AM until 2 PM, but closed on Monday. Sam and Emma are the owners. Just tell them or the servers "Evan sent me". Cherry House in Beavercreek off of Dayton-Xenia Road. Also family owned, wide selection of great food with excellent staff. When you walk in don't be discouraged by the crowd, there is a whole section to the right, the overflow room, with fast service. Open from 7:30 AM until 8 PM, closed on Sunday. Bill and Annette are the owners. Just tell them or the servers "Evan sent me". Nick's Restaurant on Route 68 North out of Xenia, not far from the Hamvention. Fantastic, huge burgers and many other selections. Lisa and Nick are the owners I believe. All of the above have websites showing their menus and pricing. I have no financial benefits from these restaurants, I'm just a satisfied patron! Let's all enjoy Hamvention!!! Bring rain gear and sunscreen, you'll need both as in past years. 73, Evan, K9SQG

I am liquidating radio assets here (I have quit eBay selling after 27 years). I am selling the last new old stock Sylvania (rebooted, tested) 6JB6 that I have. The test data is in the photo. It tests as a new tube should. The tube is 3.15 inches tall, not counting the pins. Including the pins it is 3.52 inches tall. $30 shipped in CONUSA. Gary W0DVN PPS: If you’d like to know WHY I quit eBay, drop me a direct note and I will tell you! It’s not appropriate to post in this forum.